SEE CONFERENCE REPORT
Both arms trade and military spending are on the rise. Will that be the trajectory moving forward, or are efforts at restraint also coming to the fore?
In response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many Western countries have transferred vast stocks of weapons to Kiev and are ramping up their weapons production for more. In late April 2024, the United States, the largest single arms contributor, renewed its plans for massive weapons transfers to Ukraine – even as Russia has reinvigorated its arms industry. In the Middle East, after Hamas’ October 2023 attacks, the United States has committed to expanded weapons deliveries in support of Israel and reportedly still seeks a grand realignment in the region that would be undergirded by arms packages.
But domestic resistance in the United States, especially from Republicans, raised questions about continued support to Ukraine. And Israel’s military response has spurred concerns around the globe about the morality and legality of weapons provision to the country - with actions by some states to withhold support, relevant cases being brought to the International Court of Justice and other legal bodies, and popular actions on college campuses and public spaces worldwide. Even in the United States, the Biden administration has put in place a number of policies that would appear to elevate human rights and the protection of civilians concerns.
Plus, countries and civil society members continue to push the humanitarian disarmament agenda forward, be that through a first review of the Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, advocacy for a legal instrument to address autonomous weapons, and other efforts via the Arms Trade Treaty, Convention on Cluster Munitions, Mine Ban Treaty, Program of Action, and more.
Via a series of seminars, this year’s annual conference will examine the implications of today’s conflicts and the trends for supplying weapons to them - identifying both the push to expand the arms trade as well as efforts to restrain arms trade and weapons use.
Both arms trade and military spending are on the rise. Will that be the trajectory moving forward, or are efforts at restraint also coming to the fore?
In response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many Western countries have transferred vast stocks of weapons to Kiev and are ramping up their weapons production for more. In late April 2024, the United States, the largest single arms contributor, renewed its plans for massive weapons transfers to Ukraine – even as Russia has reinvigorated its arms industry. In the Middle East, after Hamas’ October 2023 attacks, the United States has committed to expanded weapons deliveries in support of Israel and reportedly still seeks a grand realignment in the region that would be undergirded by arms packages.
But domestic resistance in the United States, especially from Republicans, raised questions about continued support to Ukraine. And Israel’s military response has spurred concerns around the globe about the morality and legality of weapons provision to the country - with actions by some states to withhold support, relevant cases being brought to the International Court of Justice and other legal bodies, and popular actions on college campuses and public spaces worldwide. Even in the United States, the Biden administration has put in place a number of policies that would appear to elevate human rights and the protection of civilians concerns.
Plus, countries and civil society members continue to push the humanitarian disarmament agenda forward, be that through a first review of the Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, advocacy for a legal instrument to address autonomous weapons, and other efforts via the Arms Trade Treaty, Convention on Cluster Munitions, Mine Ban Treaty, Program of Action, and more.
Via a series of seminars, this year’s annual conference will examine the implications of today’s conflicts and the trends for supplying weapons to them - identifying both the push to expand the arms trade as well as efforts to restrain arms trade and weapons use.
Moving Beyond Rhetoric: Overcoming Challenges to Better U.S. Policy
DATE: Tuesday, June 4, 2024
TIME: 3:00 - 4:30 PM EST
LOCATION: Virtual
The Biden administration has put in place a number of policies that would appear to elevate human rights and protection of civilians, including a new Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) policy, National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20), Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP), and Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance (CHIRG). Congress has also tried to use some of its tools to similar ends via invocation of Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act or Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.
The supply of arms to Israel has, of course, brought these topics into bright focus, as did primarily Republican resistance to supplemental aid packages to Ukraine. Have these developments changed the dynamic of U.S. arms trade and security assistance? What are the recommendations moving forward for overcoming barriers to better U.S. policy? This session explores these policies and efforts, with insights from experts who have worked inside government on arms transfer decisions as well as those who have sought to impact those decisions from leading civil society organizations.
Panelists
TIME: 3:00 - 4:30 PM EST
LOCATION: Virtual
The Biden administration has put in place a number of policies that would appear to elevate human rights and protection of civilians, including a new Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) policy, National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20), Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP), and Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance (CHIRG). Congress has also tried to use some of its tools to similar ends via invocation of Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act or Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.
The supply of arms to Israel has, of course, brought these topics into bright focus, as did primarily Republican resistance to supplemental aid packages to Ukraine. Have these developments changed the dynamic of U.S. arms trade and security assistance? What are the recommendations moving forward for overcoming barriers to better U.S. policy? This session explores these policies and efforts, with insights from experts who have worked inside government on arms transfer decisions as well as those who have sought to impact those decisions from leading civil society organizations.
Panelists
- Charles Blaha, former Director, Office of Security and Human Rights, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Department of State
- Brian Finucane, Senior Adviser for the U.S. Program, International Crisis Group and former attorney-adviser, Department of State
- Amanda Klasing, National Director of Government Relations and Advocacy, Amnesty International USA
- Elias Yousif, Research Analyst, Conventional Defense Program, Stimson Center (moderator)
Are Legal and Human Rights Challenges at a Tipping Point in Changing the Arms Trade?
DATE: Wednesday, June 5, 2024
TIME: 10:00 - 11:30 AM EST (3:00-4:30 PM BST)
LOCATION: Virtual
In the months since Hamas’ October 7 attacks, attention to the arms trade has come from a number of different angles as concerns mounted about Israel’s response and findings of a “plausible” risk of genocide. This has included a wave of strategic litigation in national courts, legal proceedings at international bodies such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as other interventions before non-judicial bodies, including pressure on industry via business and human rights initiatives, divestment campaigns, direct-actions, and protests (for example on college campuses and at manufacturers’ premises), and other efforts. Some of these efforts are unprecedented in themselves, but taken together does this mark a turning/tipping point after which legal and human rights considerations might offer more pathways and prospects for restraining the arms trade?
Join a panel of experts as they discuss earlier developments in their field of practice, whether all these different strands of activity are together painting a larger picture, what this moment might mean, and what we might expect in the future.
Panelists
This event is co-organized by the Forum on the Arms Trade and Arms Trade Litigation Monitor.
TIME: 10:00 - 11:30 AM EST (3:00-4:30 PM BST)
LOCATION: Virtual
In the months since Hamas’ October 7 attacks, attention to the arms trade has come from a number of different angles as concerns mounted about Israel’s response and findings of a “plausible” risk of genocide. This has included a wave of strategic litigation in national courts, legal proceedings at international bodies such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as other interventions before non-judicial bodies, including pressure on industry via business and human rights initiatives, divestment campaigns, direct-actions, and protests (for example on college campuses and at manufacturers’ premises), and other efforts. Some of these efforts are unprecedented in themselves, but taken together does this mark a turning/tipping point after which legal and human rights considerations might offer more pathways and prospects for restraining the arms trade?
Join a panel of experts as they discuss earlier developments in their field of practice, whether all these different strands of activity are together painting a larger picture, what this moment might mean, and what we might expect in the future.
Panelists
- Chloé Bailey, Senior Legal Advisor, Business and Human Rights, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)
- Michel Paradis, Lecturer in Law, Columbia Law School; Partner, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP
- Patrick Wilcken, Researcher/Adviser on Military, Security and Policing Issues at Amnesty’s International Secretariat
- Roy Isbister, Head of Arms Unit, Saferworld (moderator)
This event is co-organized by the Forum on the Arms Trade and Arms Trade Litigation Monitor.
The Ongoing Humanitarian Disarmament Agenda
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 2024
TIME: 10:00 - 11:30 AM EST (4:00-5:30 PM CET)
LOCATION: Virtual
This panel will highlight the ongoing value of humanitarian disarmament at a time when recent armed conflicts have presented challenges to the protection of civilians. Today’s conflicts have illustrated, for example, the dangers of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the rapid emergence of the military use of artificial intelligence (AI). This panel will examine how humanitarian disarmament can serve as a tool to address these issues, in part by bolstering efforts to implement the explosive weapons political declaration and supporting this year’s progress in the killer robots debate. Panelists will also touch on other elements of the humanitarian disarmament agenda, including the arms trade and specific weapons such as landmines and cluster munitions.
Panelists
This event is co-organized by the Forum on the Arms Trade and the Armed Conflict and Civilian Protection Initiative (ACCPI) of the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School.
TIME: 10:00 - 11:30 AM EST (4:00-5:30 PM CET)
LOCATION: Virtual
This panel will highlight the ongoing value of humanitarian disarmament at a time when recent armed conflicts have presented challenges to the protection of civilians. Today’s conflicts have illustrated, for example, the dangers of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the rapid emergence of the military use of artificial intelligence (AI). This panel will examine how humanitarian disarmament can serve as a tool to address these issues, in part by bolstering efforts to implement the explosive weapons political declaration and supporting this year’s progress in the killer robots debate. Panelists will also touch on other elements of the humanitarian disarmament agenda, including the arms trade and specific weapons such as landmines and cluster munitions.
Panelists
- Peter Asaro, Associate Professor, School of Media Studies, The New School (New York City), and vice-chair (Campaign to Stop Killer Robots)
- Christian Guillermet Fernández, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations Office at Geneva [unable to attend at last minute]
- Alma Taslidžan, Disarmament and Protection of Civilians Advocacy Manager, Humanity & Inclusion, and board chair (International Campaign to Ban Landmines-Cluster Munition Coalition) and board member (Control Arms)
- Bonnie Docherty, Director, Armed Conflict and Civilian Protection Initiative, International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School, and Senior Arms Adviser, Crisis, Conflict, and Arms Division, Human Rights Watch
This event is co-organized by the Forum on the Arms Trade and the Armed Conflict and Civilian Protection Initiative (ACCPI) of the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School.